Helping Your Children Make New Friends: Tips for Fulfilling Interactions
We often think of childhood as inquisitive, fun, and carefree, but it’s not all fun and games all the time. Children face many challenges each day. As adults, we often don’t fully grasp how difficult these obstacles can be for a young person with so little life experience.
Many children struggle to make friends, even when surrounded by their peers. As a result, they feel lonely and left out. The thought of this is saddening for any parent. We all want our children to have enjoyable and fulfilling relationships with other kids their age that they will remember for a lifetime.
If you’re wondering how to help your child make friends, we are here to help. Our actionable tips will help your son or daughter to make connections with others so he or she can feel more confident and comfortable in all aspects of life.
Role-Playing Can Help Build Confidence
Children can learn so much when they have the opportunity to role-play with a trusted adult. Role-playing can help you to teach a shy or apprehensive child how to approach others and what to say during a first encounter. Model ways to introduce oneself and how to ask to be included in a game on the first day or anytime. Be sure to also role-play undesirable outcomes so your son or daughter knows how to respond if their good intentions are rejected.
Look for Common Interests
We all enjoy spending time with people who like the same things as we do, and this is just as true when it comes to the friendships of children. If your son or daughter is interested in making art, then tell him or her to find other children who also like art and they will have something to talk about right away. If he or she is active in sports, encourage him or her to seek out other children who also like sports, and they can practice those sports during playtime together.
Teach Good Manners
No one wants to spend time with someone with bad manners, and children can be very discerning in this realm. When it comes to learning how to help your child make friends, teaching good manners is one of the most important. Your child should know not to interrupt others when they are speaking and should be prepared to share and take turns. Demonstrating these qualities on a consistent basis will help your child with popularity not just in his or her youngest years, but throughout his or her life.
We Can Help You Learn How to Help Your Child Make Friends
At Grow With Us Learning Academy, we want all of our young friends to develop friendships with each other in a safe and encouraging environment. Our staff has years of experience helping children to feel comfortable and loved, and this nurturing space can help them to develop relationships with others at our school and in the greater world.
We will help you learn how to help your child make friends, and we will help them grow and succeed every step of the way as well.
We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about us and we would love to meet with you and give you a tour. Contact us today for more information.